asked to leave. The owner of the restaurant directed negative comments toward them as a group and told them because of the incident that occurred earlier, he would no longer serve day treatment people again.

Now, almost 2 years later, people who are recognized as being from the day treatment program are still refused services. Thank

you.

[The prepared statement of Larry Urban follows:]

The following reflects my testimony presented at the Congressional hearing on H.R. 4498 at the Lafayette Hotel, Boston, MA on October 24, 1988.

Discrimination against persons with mental illness is widespread and today I am prepared to give several examples of discrimination in the areas of Housing, Public Services and Education.

First, I would like to establish that I use the term "mental illness" to describe persons who have a psychiatric disability such as schizophrenia or manic-depression, which has usually required hospitalization in a psychiatric facility and treatment with antipsychotic medications.

The stigma attached to persons labelled mentally ill is widespread. Evidence of the negative attitudes held by the general population toward persons with mental illness is vividly illustrated by the following Letter to the Editor printed in the Lowell Sun this past year concerning a state plan to provide community-based housing for the mentally ill.

The letter printed in the Lowell Sun by a person by the name of Chris Daigle follows:

State plan to relocate mental patients faulty

Recent news reports have Isaid that state hospitals would begin placing patients in private homes (next to yours?) shortly.

What are they thinking about? The streets aren't safe to walk-on now, let alone your yard for your.... children to play, next to a home where some mental patients are living!

They named six or şeyen. cities, and two of them were Lawrence and Lowell!... Why not spend a little money to fix up our state hospitals and make them homey and comfortable and keep the patients in their own environment. The state hospitals are on the best land in the cities! They are on perfect sites! Motropolitan State sits high on a hill overlooking Boston. Worcestor. State aits high on a hill overlooking Worcester, both with beautiful grounds.

Three fourths of all mental patients are schizophrenic, Their moods can change in a second

Let's ask professionals, doctors, nurses, etc, if mental patients should live outside: the hospital.

Now is the time to write to your state senators and con. gressmen to get this stopped!

...now!

CHRIS DAIGLE.
Lowell

3.

This letter reveals the negative attitudes and irrational fears that people have toward persons with mental illness and these attitudes can be an insurmountable barrier to establishing housing programs for the mentally ill in residential neighborhoods.

I know of two attempts to establish a supervised group home in Lowell that were stopped by irrational neighborhood reactions. In one case derogatory graffiti were written on the proposed residential site such as "Nuts go home!". In both cases the neighbors staged emotionally charged rallys that prevented any meaningful dialogue concerning their stated objections such as property devaluation and the safety of their children. Under these circumstances, political pressures against agencies attempting to establish housing are often the deciding factor forcing the mentally ill out of the better and safer neighborhoods and into neighborhoods that are drug infested and that pose other threats to their welfare.

While these situations do not constitute discrimination against specific individuals, they are symptomatic of society's attitude toward persons with mental illness and can be expected to operate in individual situations as well.

In the area of public services, I would like to inform you of an example of discrimination that occurred almost two years ago and is still going on. Because legal action may be pending, I cannot give names. This situation involves a restaurant which is in close proximity to a day treatment center for persons with mental illness. This restaurant was frequented by a number of the people being served by the day treatment center, until one day, one of their members became disruptive and was rightfully asked to leave the restaurant. However, later that same day when several other members of the day treatment center attempted to get service at the restaurant, they were asked to leave. The owner of the restaurant directed several negative comments toward them as a group and told them that because of the incident that occurred earlier, he would "no longer serve day treatment people again". Now, almost two years later, people who are recognized as being from the day treatment program are still refused service.

In the area of education, another example of discrimination was recently related to me by a person with a history of mental illness. This person was being interviewed for admission to a nursing school and she felt the interview was progressing very satisfactorally until she revealed that she had previously had two hospitalizations for mental illness. The interviewer then immediately informed her that there was no way she would be admitted to nursing school since nursing was a very stressful profession and her psychiatric history would indicate that she would not be able to deal with stress. However, since that interview occurred this person has obtained a B.A. in Liberal Arts and a Masters in Social Work from Boston University.

This last example suggests the pressures that people with a history of mental illness are often under when attempting to obtain educational or employment opportunities. Their fear of being rejected soley because they have a history of mental illness causes them to lie about their history. Over time, you can imagine the toll this can take on a person's integrity and the effect that it can have on a person's dignity and self-worth which is being constantly erroded by the effects of stigma and discrimination.

I hope that the "Americans with Disabilities Act of 1988" will help deal with some of these areas of discrimination against persons with mental illness that I have stated.